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Chapter Seventeen ~ Damsel in Distress

Ginny and Draco stared at each other for a few minutes in silence. Ginny finally broke eye contact, looking around the room and sure enough, she was not in her childhood room. This room was probably the size of her entire apartment. The bed was a four poster king size bed with black silk sheets and dark gray curtains. The room was a forest green with black furniture. The room was very fancy with very limited personal things. And when Ginny looked back at Draco, he looked as if he belonged in the beautiful room.

He was dressed in black trousers and a black dress shirt; the sleeves folded up, revealing his defined forearms. His hair hung loose over his eyes and stood up in some places as if he’d been running his fingers through it like usual.

Ginny sat up and bit her lip.

“How did you get into here, Red?” Draco asked watching her intensely.

Ginny couldn’t figure out the expression on his face; she looked down at her lap and could see her wand poking out of her back pocket. She almost laughed out loud; Neville would tell her something if he saw that.

“Red, Red…I’m talking to you.” Draco snapped his fingers in front of her face trying to catch her attention.

She looked back at him, his silvery – gray eyes trying to read her mind, she was sure of it.

“I closed my eyes. I must have fallen asleep and touched a Portkey or something of the sort. George must be trying out a new invention.” She explained but she didn’t know who she was trying to convince, him or herself.

Draco didn’t say a word, just continued to look at her.

Ginny pushed herself up, brushed off invisible stuff on her clothes and stood in front of Draco. She licked her lips nervously and immediately his gaze went down to her lips.

“Draco, Neville wants us to owl Gin – Ginny?”

Ginny and Draco both looked up to see Blaise staring at them with wide-eyes. They suddenly heard loud footsteps coming down the corridor. Neville immediately came into view.

“Did you just scream Ginny? I just sent her an owl.” Neville said to Blaise. He hadn’t looked over at Ginny and Draco yet.

“It’ll come back,” Blaise told him as he continued to stare wide-eyed at the pair.

“Why?” Neville asked.

“Because Ginny is right there.” Blaise told him and Neville jumped when he saw Ginny and Draco standing in front of each other, looking at Blaise and himself.

“What are you doing here?” Neville asked.

“I’m here for the party.” Ginny explained.

“How did you get here? I didn’t hear you come in through the front door.” He watched her carefully as she bit her lip and looked over at Draco. Draco was also watching her.

Guess he didn’t accept what I told him; Ginny thought to herself as she tried to figure out how she had gotten her, and in Draco’s bed no less.

“I…well, it’s like this… I closed my eyes and – and I was –” Ginny tried to explain until Draco cut her off.

“Spit it out, Red.”

“I don’t know, dammit!” She growled and turned around, leaving the room and the three men behind her.

~.~.~

As the door slammed behind her, the three men looked at each other.

“I think she’s upset,” Draco said to the other two who both shrugged simultaneously.

“I’ll go after her,” Neville sighed as he made his way towards the door.

“No, no, I’ll get it.” Draco muttered and in the blink of an eye, he was gone.

“Eh, DRACO! Where did he go?” Neville looked around nervously.

“He apparated, didn’t you see?” Blaise asked with mock surprise. He hated having to lie to Neville. He’d bludger Draco later about pulling his disappearing act in front of people. He was getting sloppy.

~.~.~

Draco ran at full speed and found Ginny leaning against a railing at the top of the stairs, staring down below. Her expression was shocked as she looked down at the entrance to Blaise’s house. He was still a little confused how she got here because nothing had come with her when she had just appeared on his bed. For a moment, he had thought that he had been dreaming because for his little redheaded minx to appear on his bed when he was thinking about her…well, let’s just say that that was a dream come true.

Ginny leaned over the railing a little for a reason unknown to him and for a second he could have sworn she lost her balance and was going to fall. He watched her lean forward a bit and actually lose her balance and fall over the railing.

“Ginny!” He cried out and with his inhuman speed, he was down at the bottom of the stairs before she had even fallen an inch.

Draco watched in surprise as Ginny shut her eyes tightly and disappeared completely from view. He opened his mouth to call out her name again when suddenly she appeared an inch above him and he threw out his arms quickly, catching her before she fell to the floor.

“Ginny, what the hell?” Draco asked, his voice rough from the sudden fear he had felt watching Ginny fall.

She opened her chocolate brown eyes slowly, astonished that Draco had caught her before she fell to her death. Sure, she could have saved herself if she’d gotten her wand out in time but she hadn’t even thought to grab it. Her mind and body had froze as she’d fallen closer to the ground.

“Draco,” she whispered.

He tightened his hold on her, pulling her closer to his body. She was shivering.

“What were you doing? Leaning over the railing like that isn’t safe.” Draco reprimanded her.

Ginny brushed a lock of hair out of her face and sighed, leaning into Draco’s warm chest.

“I thought I saw something. It must have been nothing.” She muttered.

“You know, you kind of…well, you disappeared a second when you were falling.” Draco told her.

“I disappeared?” Ginny looked at him as if he’d lost his marbles.

“You were gone…for about a split second.” He looked down at her. He couldn’t let go of the feelings running through his body as he held Ginny in his arms. She fit perfectly. It would have been better if she didn’t fit at all, he told himself angrily. Thinking about her fitting perfectly against him under the sheets was not something he should be thinking about right now.

“That’s odd,” she whispered, biting her lip as the two stared at each other.

“Ginny, Draco! What happened?” Neville asked, out of breath. Blaise running behind him.

Ginny and Draco both looked up at the two who were standing at the spot she had been. Ginny noticed the distance from the top of the staircase to the floor where Draco was still holding her. She looked between the two a few times and tried to calculate how long it would take someone to get down the stairs and then thought about a spell that could have someone reach the bottom in seconds. She couldn’t think of any off the top of her head and that was saying something. There was no way Draco could have caught her if he was a good distance behind her, as she had thought he was. It was like that time when he’d carried her to bed. Maybe she hadn’t fallen asleep!

As she wondered she looked back at Draco who was watching her. His expression was unreadable. It almost looked as if he was daring her to say something. She bit her tongue to keep her from saying anything.

“I’m okay, I tripped and Draco caught me.” Ginny lied then looked at Draco, “You can put me down now.”

“You could be hurt, my damsel in distress.” He whispered into her ear. She shivered. Draco chuckled.

“Damsel in distress, my arse,” she muttered but didn’t struggle as he walked her into the sitting room.

Draco snorted at that as he sat her on the couch. The others caught up to them by now and Ginny could see Luna behind them. Before she could say anything, Luna spoke up.

“I just arrived. I escaped the chaos at the Burrow when they all realized that you were gone. Quick escape. I wish you would have told me so I wouldn’t have had to lie to George.” Luna explained as she looked around the room. “Wow, Blaise. What a beautiful room.”

Ginny looked around and almost snorted. The room was ridiculously tacky. She bit her lip to keep herself from laughing or saying anyting inappropriate. Draco looked over at her and smirked. She grinned back.

“Mum’s ‘parlor’, she likes to call it.” Blaise snorted as he sat elegantly on another of the couches. “Well, now the party can begin!” He clapped his hands and a house elf appeared. “Murkie, please bring us some butterbeer and pastries.”

“Yes, young master.” Murkie nodded then disappeared again.

“You have house elves?” Neville asked.

“The party is beginning? I thought you were inviting more people?” Ginny asked looking around and only seeing Draco, Blaise, Neville, Luna and herself.

“Looking for some sort of entertainment, Red?” Draco asked as he slid in next to her on the couch. His body brushing up against hers. She blushed.

“No,” she muttered quickly as she tried to move away from Draco. He grinned at her, his silvery – gray eyes sparkling deviously.

Every inch she moved over, he moved even closer. The others ignored them, going on in their own conversations. Even Murkie came in with their things but neither Draco nor Ginny noticed.

“Don’t get so close,” she growled.

“Why ever not? I know you enjoy it when I’m so close.” He told her.

“I don’t. You’re invading my personal space. Move away.” She glared at him.

He smirked, leaned over and grabbed her chin; he forced her to look him in the eyes. She bit her lip and almost  allowed herself to drown in the depths of his endless silvery – gray eyes. Ginny leaned in closer to him involuntarily, of course. It was his eyes, pulling her closer and closer to him. Then her nose brushed up against his and she jumped back; just realizing how close she had come to kissing him. And in front of the others.

“Like I said, you enjoy it when I’m so close.” He grinned but for some reason it didn’t reach his eyes.

*****

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